Leap of Fate
by irishlizard
Summary: Who knows what will happen when a new member joins the circle of friends.
1. Chapter 1

"Thanks, I'll let you know if we can use you," Roger said to yet another disappointing guitarist. Benny had persuaded him to do a studio album, and he was all for it. The only problem was his band might sound great on stage, but that sound didn't translate well into the studio. For the past two and a half weeks, he had heard every person in New York City who thought they could play a guitar, but none of them were what he needed.

"Next!"

His optimism dropped even more as he looked at the next application. Isabel Carmical. NYU grad with a sound editing degree. Radio sound editing experience. Helped with sound design in several theatres. Not a bit of band or recording experience. As he was looking the sheet over, Collins walked in.

"Hey, man, any luck?"

"Not yet, and I don't think there will be any time soon."

The young woman in the sound booth took out her acoustic without saying a word. She was wearing very flowing, hippie clothes with her medium-length strawberry blonde curls around her face. For some strange reason, she looked familiar to Collins, but he couldn't say from where.

"Get your picket sign and love beads out," Roger joked. He then pressed the button to speak into the sound booth. "Whenever you're ready."

With that, she smiled and gave a small nod. What ensued stunned the men outside the sound booth. She had started playing a simple familiar tune, but the embellishment compounded as she played on. Roger and Collins couldn't believe what they were hearing. The technique was amazing; her fingers were exactly where they were supposed to be, never missing a note. As she finished her first song, before Roger could say a word she said, "I can play an electric if you have one."

"Sure," he said retrieving and giving her the guitar.

"Thank you," she said as she smiled and took the guitar from him.

The next five minutes were like heaven to Roger's ears. Even Roger couldn't play some of the stuff she was. It might not bring a rock concert to its feet, but it would give any studio rock album a run for its money. This was it!

"I think I've heard enough. You can come on in," Roger said over the speaker before he opened the door for her.

As the quiet girl walked into the room with a smile, she said, "I know I haven't had a lot of experience, but I'm decent and I love…"

"You're hired!" Roger interrupted.

She was stunned; the eternal smile left her face for a brief moment but reappeared even bigger than before. "Thank you! Thank you so much! You have no idea what this means to me!"

"No, thank you, Miss…"

"Carmical. Isabel Carmical. Izzy's fine."

Even with a name with the face, Collins couldn't figure out why she looked so familiar. Probably just going crazy, he laughed to himself. Collins walked over to where the other two were standing."

"I'm Roger Davis, you are a God-send, and this is my friend…"

Izzy interrupted, "Professor Collins!"


	2. Chapter 2

Isabel Carmical had lived her entire life on a small acreage in Iowa with her parents. They had met in college; two Midwestern hippies looked down upon by their families, mostly because of the way they dressed. In all honesty, they'd never tried drugs and her father didn't burn his draft card. They were just free-spirits and fell in love the minute her mother saw her father playing his guitar on the campus lawn. He'd passed his passion for music onto Izzy.

They never moved out of Iowa. In fact, Izzy's maternal grandparents lived just half an hour away. It could have been a thousand, though; holidays were spent either on the acreage alone or with the less fortunate they had invited. Her father owned an apartment building in town, and taught guitar lessons and led the music at church every Sunday. Her mother was a librarian. Normal in everyway, but always outcasts.

Izzy went to public school, but learned most of what she knew from running around the library after school, reading every book she could get her hands on. Although she had extraordinary talent, she didn't play in the school's band…she enjoyed sitting next to father playing Eagles songs just fine. Teachers loved her, and all the students were nice to her, but Izzy had mastered the distancing technique just as her parents had.

When she graduated, Izzy decided to stay close to home; she majored in music at a small private college an hour from their family home. Not really sure what she would do, she occasionally went out with friends and was constantly writing home. She was happy, not worrying about what tomorrow would bring, knowing her parents would always be there for her.

At least, that's what she thought. All that changed in her junior year of college. Her parents had once again helped Izzy move back into her dorm room. She wanted her own apartment, but humored her parents' wishes by staying on campus with a required roommate. As she closed the hatch of the van, her mother looked at Izzy who was holding her guitar case, and said, "I'm so proud of you, Isabel. I've always been proud of you."

Of course Izzy knew this. The way her mom said it surprised her, though. She just smiled and leaned in to let her mom hug her. Just then her roommate ran up to her. "Hey, Iz, we're gonna go grab lunch. Wanna come?"

Izzy felt bad to leave her parents suddenly, but her dad smiled and assured her, "Go be young, kiddo. Don't let us make you miss your life."

With a wink of his eye, Izzy was gone with a group of friends. When she got about 20 feet away, she realized she'd forgotten something. "Love you guys!" she yelled back to the van.

This was answered by two hands jutting out of both sides of the van giving peace signs. Izzy smiled. What would she do without those two?

Little did she know, she would have to find that answer much sooner than she expected. That night, after getting books and other supplies, Izzy went back to her room to get situated. Very shortly after she returned, there was a knock on the door. Expecting the RA with some required paper work for the start of the school year, Izzy was unpleasantly surprised when she opened the door. There was a uniformed officer standing next to her maternal grandmother. She hadn't seen the woman since her graduation two years ago. She hadn't spoken to her in at least five. Immediately, Izzy's heart dropped. Leaving the door open, she sat on her bed. After a moment of silence, her grandmother entered, leaving the officer outside.

"Isabel, dear, I have some horrible, horrible news. Your parents…when they were driving home…well, a semi lost control and…I'm sorry…"

Izzy couldn't say a thing. Her entire world had changed in a split second.

The next few weeks were a blur. She had to fight with her family to help to make arrangements. Her grandmother made her withdraw from classes. "We'll start you up again next semester, dear," her grandmother insisted, which Izzy willingly did. She even wore a new outfit her aunt bought her to the funeral. It was easier just to give in than to fight. Not wanting to deal with lawyers and insurance agencies, she let her family take care of the money and house and other business. After moving in with her grandparents, Izzy quickly recovered, to the surprise of everyone. She understood her parents wouldn't want her to stop living her life, and this wasn't it. She immediately began applying to schools nearby and far, far away. She was accepted to every place she applied, and, of course, her grandparents wanted her to return to her old college.

Izzy had other plans. Rather than continue with school where everyone felt sorry for her or live with blood that disapproved of her lifestyle, Isabel decided to clear her mind and move to New York City, where she had been accepted to several schools and knew no one and nobody knew her past. A fresh start. She began taking classes at NYU. She had a lot more options now. Wanting to do something with her music background, she chose to pursue a degree in sound editing. The equipment was new to her, but she caught on quickly. Although most of her general education had been completed, she was required to take a technology flag. For this, Izzy chose an introduction to computer systems, which sounded doable. Not exactly thrilling, but doable.

She walked into the lecture hall and was blown away by the size. There were at least 150 students. Izzy took a seat close to the front. If she didn't look behind her, it didn't seem as scary. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and smiled. She loved her new, exciting, and different life and, with her mother's word's echoing in her ears, knew they would be proud of her for pursuing a life of her own.

She was jolted back to reality by the sudden hush of the classroom. Izzy saw that the teacher had entered. A young black man in jeans and a stocking hat. Not the computer nerd she had expected. He placed his bag on the chair of the desk, grabbed a stack of papers and dropped them on the desk. He then sat on the desk, looking at the students for a moment. "Grab one and go."

No one moved. The teacher got up, grabbed his bag and left. It took a couple of minutes after the man did not return for people to start getting up. Though she thought it odd, Izzy followed suit with the rest of the students. She gathered her things and grabbed one of the sheets from the desk. She read it on her way out the door.

"_Syllabus for Intro to Comp Systems_

_Professor: Thomas B. Collins…"_


	3. Chapter 3

"Excuse me? You know each other?" Roger asked.

Collins was just as confused as Roger. The familiarity made sense now, but he still didn't really remember her. His puzzled look didn't escape Izzy. "It's alright; I didn't speak up a lot. I wasn't exactly stellar in your class. Managed an A- though," she said with a smile.

"So, what do you say? I have the papers upstairs in an office. And you can talk to my manager, Benjamin Coffin."

There was a pause while Izzy took it all in. "I'm in!"

"Great!" Roger said. He then turned to Collins, who hadn't said a word, "Do want to hang out here? We can grab some drinks after; we shouldn't take long."

"Um, I'll go see what Mark is up to and get us a table at Life."

With that, Collins left the studio. Before he left, he saw Roger and Isabel leave. A sense of unease filled him. Angel was the last NEW member of the gang. Collins wasn't sure if their family had room for someone new. Or even if Miss Carmical would fit into the group. Her quietness and demeanor gave him his doubts. Maybe she would just be a professional affiliation to Roger. Time would only tell.

He ran by the apartment which he shared with Mark now. Roger moved in with Mimi to help take care of her. Even though she was fully recovered, he decided to stay there. Besides, he only moved down one floor. Not a terrible change.

When he reached the apartment, he found Mark sitting at a table strewn with strips of film. "Wanna take a break?"

"You really don't need to ask," Mark said as he quickly rolled the film back onto a reel. "Let's get outta here."

Collins and Mark had been waiting for their table for about 15 minutes when Roger and Isabel walked into the Life Café. They were laughing as they entered. You could hardly tell the two had just met. "Hey there. Mark, this is Isabel. Izzy, Mark," Roger introduced the newcomer.

"Nice to meet you, Mark," she said, gently taking Mark's hand. "If you'd excuse me, I need a restroom…Thanks," she said as Roger pointed the way to her.

Just then, a table had opened up, so the guys took their seats. "Verdict?" Mark asked. He was as skeptical as Roger had been at first.

"She's perfect. And she signed the contract on the spot. She's the answer to my prayers," Roger said as he spotted her coming out of the bathroom and waved to her.

As she approached, Collins made room for her in the seat next to him. Mark and Roger were in the bench across from him. Both Mark and Collins were unusually quiet. Roger and Izzy talked small talk for a good 5 minutes until the waitress brought coffee and hot tea. Once the boys had some caffeine, they loosened up to normal. Izzy told about her days since NYU, how she was living in a small apartment on Avenue C. The view was terrible, but rent was affordable. She never lost her quiet reserve, or her smile. She never mentioned her past either; it was long behind her. Collins warmed up to her instantly. She laughed at his witty jokes that no one else got. She even got into a small debate with him about the state of the city government, which she followed up with a round a beers. She wasn't afraid to be herself around strangers, but let them be themselves as well. After she told a joke that made everyone laugh, Collins thought, "This might not be so terrible after all."


	4. Chapter 4

In the weeks that followed, Izzy was introduced to the entire group of friends. She and Mimi hit it off right away, since they were the same age. Joann appreciated her interest in politics, and Maureen was impressed with her knowledge of theatre. Benny gave her a job at CyberArts after she had provided Roger with innovative advice for his album. She did a lot of sound editing for all genres and movie scores, but got to take an extra hand in producing independent projects.

She may not have dressed like the others, or lived the same edgy life-style, but she appreciated their individuality. The gang grew to love her, too. They couldn't explain why; she just had an allure about her. She laughed all the time, keeping an optimistic outlook on life. She didn't know why, but she still hadn't told them about her family. The group asked about her life before New York, especially Collins, but she politely changed the topic every time. She didn't really care, though; she had found a new family that was strangely reminiscent of her old.

But that family had its own secrets. Most of them told her everything; she quickly became a confidant for all. That is, for all except Collins. He got along great with her, but didn't tell her about Angel. He wasn't sure why, he just wasn't ready to. Ready or not, she would soon learn the entire story.

About a month after Izzy had entered their lives, the friends had a get-together at Mimi's for her birthday. After a couple of drinks, they all began reminiscing. Without realizing it, Mimi let slip about Angel and asked Collins if he'd fallen in love with any other drag queens lately. It shouldn't have been a problem, except Collins hadn't really told Izzy he was gay. He had hoped she hadn't heard, but his fears were confirmed when he turned around and saw her standing right next to Mimi. He was ashamed, not that she knew, just that he hadn't been the one to do it. The friendship had been going so well, how could he screw it up so easily?

Instead of looking shocked and horrified, Izzy simply looked at him and smiled. "Ya know, I always giggled to myself when girls tried to flirt with you to raise their grades. Looking back now on how insanely futile that was, I think I would have fallen out of my seat with laughter."

Collins smiled back, "Girl, I been laughin' for years!"

After the party, Collins refused to let her walk home by herself; she still wasn't used to the neighborhood, especially at night. After they started out, Collins broke the silence. "I'm sorry about that, I should have told…"

"It's alright. I get it. There's nothing to apologize for. The truth comes out in time. It always does."

Her tone dropped. Collins wondered if there was something she was hiding. He knew enough not to pry. She was right; it would come out eventually. They walked in silence until they reached her apartment. "Night," Collins said, leaving her at the door.

As he turned to walk away, he heard her say, "I'm alone…"

He rushed back to her, seeing she was on the brink of tears. She proceeded to tell the story of her past, letting the tears roll down her cheeks, but never pausing. She didn't look at him until she was done. After a silent pause, Collins took her in his arms, "Sweetie, I'm so sorry…"

She pulled back, wiping the tears from her face. "No, I don't need pity. I just…want…"

"I'm here for you," Collins said, hugging her again. "We're all here for you."


	5. Chapter 5

Shortly after the incident, Isabel gradually told the others little bits about her life. She felt comfortable with them. She never slipped into a depression; she always managed to find the good in life and laugh. The others couldn't help but laugh with her. She never judged a person's actions or beliefs, just asked that she not be judged in return. She went to Life Support to help those who had lost family and friends to AIDS by giving her own story of loss and explaining how she knew what it was like to be alone and an outcast. No one could explain why she fit so well into the group.

One explanation was her giving attitude. She played gigs for Roger when he was short a member for no charge. She let Mark use the studio after hours without billing. She even humored Maureen by convincing the studio to financially back some of her original stage shows. She let them camp out in her apartment whenever they needed. They tried to persuade her to move into their building, but she liked having an escape of her own. So did the others. When Joann was irritated, Maureen would spend a night or two on the couch, and many other times when her new circle of friends would randomly stop by.

In her own way, she was Angel revisited, just enough to give the hint, but not enough to upset anyone. They never let her feel like she was an outsider, or a replacement. Even though the two had never met, the gang was sure Izzy and Angel would have gotten along beautifully. Izzy understood what he had meant to the group and was blessed to experience Angel's spirit through that group of friends. Perhaps this close connection to Angel was the reason she and Collins got along so well. She understood loss as he did. Losing your world had been a shared experience.

Eventually Mark got a girlfriend, and, wanting to give him space, Collins asked to stay with Izzy for a while. They got along great. She offered her apartment to him if he wanted to invite a potential partner over, but he never took her up on the offer, saying he'd never have one. Even though Collins offered to go somewhere else if she wanted to have any of them spend the night, she would always send them home before him. Guy after guy found something to dump her for, usually it was her friends. That was the reason she seemed to have a new one every few weeks and why they were scarcely seen around the apartment. Even though she never said so, Collins figured rightly that this was the case. However, Izzy always insisted, "I see them at work, I don't want to come home to them, too. Besides, I want to make as many connections in the office as is humanly possible."

Collins really didn't like any of these boyfriends; he knew she could do a lot better. But it didn't bother him. As long as their friendship didn't change. Also, the latest one, Bryan, seemed to be working out well. Izzy seemed happy, and so he was happy.

Then one night, something changed. They were watching TV on the couch together and she had fallen asleep. Not an uncommon occurrence. However, this time when Collins carried her into her bedroom and covered her up, he suddenly realized how beautiful she was. He had the urge to kiss her, on her lips, but, hesitating, settled for her forehead. It was just a passing impulse; nothing to worry about, right?

Against his wishes and, as he thought, his best judgment, he was wrong. In the weeks to follow, Collins found everything about Izzy to be perfect. He couldn't stand Bryan any longer; he felt threatened when he would come around. Not knowing how to handle the situation, Collins just dealt with it. He didn't tell a soul what he was feeling. He wasn't even sure exactly what he WAS felling. Within a couple of months, however, he got a break. Mark had been dumped. Collins seized the opportunity to move back in with him, claiming Mark just needed a buddy at the moment.

Izzy understood, at least she thought she did. However, Collins didn't even come over any more in the following months. Life continued on normally, with the absence of Collins. She figured he'd had enough of her; not wanting to lose the friendship, she let him have his space unquestioned. Everyone seemed to be busy. Every once in a while, a few of them got together for lunch or coffee, but it had been a long time since there was a larger get-together. Collins busied himself with schoolwork; the new semester had just begun. Without being around Izzy, he could focus on something else. Izzy had Bryan; everyone seemed to be happy.


	6. Chapter 6

Finally, Halloween came around. Through Roger, Izzy was invited to a party at the Life Café; the whole gang would be there. Izzy was extremely excited. She had longed for weeks to get to see everyone together. She had figured out her costume and was discussing Bryan's with him on the morning of Halloween.

"I think you should be Elvis. You have the hair," she smiled.

Bryan, however, wasn't in nearly as good of spirits as she was. "Iz, I'm not going tonight."

"Your loss. The gang will miss you."

"But I won't miss them. That's the problem. Look at them, Izzy!"

"What about them?"

"They're…they're…I don't know what they are!"

"My friends…"

"Losers, Izzy; they're a bunch of losers! Society rejects! They aren't worthy enough to be your friends."

"What!?!"

"You aren't one of them; you're better than that."

"Excuse me?"

"I can't associate with them any longer…"

"You won't have to," Izzy said as she opened the door.

"Don't do this. I like you, a lot. I just can't stand THEM."

"Well, then, you can't stand me."

With that, Bryan left the apartment. Izzy closed the door behind him and closed her eyes. The choice had been easy. She really did care for Bryan, looking back she wasn't sure why. She had wanted him to work out, but couldn't abandon her friends. Her family. Her friends meant more than any guy ever could. Well, this day wasn't going to be a total bust. So she got dressed and was headed to the café. This party was a long time coming.

Upon entering, she saw everyone dressed in their original costumes. Roger and Mimi were Sonny and Cher. Mark was in a toga. Maureen was a witch, in a rubber suit of course. Joann was Dorothy. Benny was a cowboy. Collins, somehow, had gotten hold of a genuine cop costume. As Izzy walked over in her white dress, wings, and halo, the noise died down a little. She'd told Roger she was coming, so she didn't know why everyone looked so surprised.

Just then she remembered…ANGEL! She felt horrified and apologized, looking specifically at Collins. How could she do such a thing? Then Mimi chimed in, saying they were all just jealous she got to be fashionably late. The party ensued, but Izzy looked ashamedly over at Collins, who looking over her once again just smiled.

"You look great."

"I'm so sorry…I didn't mean…"

"Don't you apologize for lookin' that good!"

With that, he threw his arms around her. Even he was surprised how much he missed her. He held on for longer than he had planned to. He then held her back away from him. He was glad to see her, but even time hadn't cured him of his feelings. But the sight of everybody together having a good time was enough to suppress them. He let her go so she could greet everyone. God, he missed this; he missed her even more.

When the party was over, Collins walked Izzy back to her apartment. "I don't really think a police escort is completely necessary."

"Oh, it is, Miss Carmical. Believe me, it is," he smiled.

She was glad that they had the time to talk to each other. She missed that. Why had it taken so long? It didn't matter. Things were back to normal. After a few minutes of silence, Izzy began apologizing, "I'm sorry if there was something I did wrong…"

"Stop that. You know you didn't."

"But…I just thought that…maybe…"

"You didn't. You couldn't…even if you tried," he winked.

After a silence, she asked, "So how've you been?"

"Good. Busy."

"With school?"

"Yeah, with school. I swear, students get lazier and dumber every year. I don't get it."

"Well, we can't all be computer geniuses, now can we?"

"Why not?" he smiled. When she smiled back, he asked, "What about you?"

"Oh, ya know, the usual. Working at the studio, letting Benny take credit for half of the work I get done, getting dumped…nothing too exciting."

"Wait…I thought Bryan was working out?"

"Yeah, about that…he dumped me this morning."

"Oh, I never really liked him."

"Yeah, to tell you the truth, I'm not sure I ever did either."

They both smiled and laughed. They had reached her apartment. "You can come up if you'd like."

His hesitation answered the question. "Good night," she said as she went inside.

But before the door closed, he grabbed her arm and pulled her to him, kissing her. When he pulled back, Izzy didn't know what to think. Before she could say anything, Collins said, "I'm sorry…no, I'm not. Not really. I'm just…I'm confused, Izzy."

"Well, maybe we should sleep on it, and talk tomorrow."

"No, I can't stand this anymore. I can't explain it, but I think I…I love you, Izzy."

"I think you've just had too much to drink…"

"Stop it. I'm not drunk. I'm in love. I can't explain how or why, I just know I am." He reached out his hand and ran his fingers down his cheek. "I know how crazy this sounds. And I know how hard it will be for everyone to get used to, for ME to get used to. I've thought about it…a lot. It just feels right. Who knows, it might just be crazy enough to be normal."

Izzy looked at Collins, shocked and speechless at what he was saying. She thought she was in some type of weird, surreal dream. What was he saying? Was he serious? Of course he loved her; she loved him. He was her best friend. But she didn't LOVE him, and he couldn't love her. Could he? She looked into his eyes. She saw something there that she'd never seen before. He looked away. "I understand if you're scared. I sure as hell am. I just had to tell someone."

Izzy grabbed both of his hands in hers. He looked up at her again. "I think I need just a while to think about this, OK?"

Collins nodded, still holding her hands. Just then Izzy looked at a poster on the side of her building for Life Support. She smiled after reading it and knew exactly what to do. She kissed him, and when she pulled back, saw the biggest smile she'd ever seen. The two kissed again, embracing each other in the moonlight and embracing the magic of the night, of life, of love: NO DAY BUT TODAY!


End file.
